5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness. —Philippians 2:5-7
“Equality with God” is a heavy phrase. Jesus was God, and Jesus gave it up in order to be human. Jesus understood what it meant to be human. Though he never stopped being God, he relinquished that power and position in order to walk with us.
I think Paul is reminding us that, just as Jesus chose to be human and not God for the sake of being present for us, we are not to seek to be “God”, but to be human for one another. In our thinking and acting, we are to humble ourselves in service to our neighbor, so they can feel valued and seen by the world when so much of the world looks past them or even does harm to them.
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” This week, as we move toward Jerusalem and the cross, see yourself in the image of God—the human, humble, Christ-like image that serves and walks alongside the other in love.